ACI MATERIALS JOURNAL
Title no. 108-M67
Portable Vane Test to Assess Structural Buildup at Rest of
Self-Consolidating Concrete
by Ahmed F. Omran, Siwar Naji, and Kamal H. Khayat
In the case of casting deep elements, self-consolidating concrete
(SCC) should be designed with high thixotropy to reduce lateral
pressure on the formwork system and with low thixotropy in multi-
layer casting to avoid the formation of a weak interface between
successive lifts. Therefore, thixotropy determination of SCC on site
may be necessary. Thixotropy can be determined by evaluating the
rate of structural buildup at rest. Quality control of SCC on site
necessitates the use of a simple, robust, and inexpensive test. A
field-oriented test (portable vane device) enabling the evaluation
of the structural buildup at rest of concrete is highlighted in this
paper. Relative errors between 4 and 20% are estimated for this
device. Good correlations are observed between six indexes of
structural buildup determined from the portable vane and concrete
rheometer using 60 SCC mixtures. The classification of SCC
mixtures according to thixotropic values and the ranking of the six
structural buildup indexes are also introduced in this paper.
Keywords: portable vane test; self-consolidating concrete; static yield
stress; structural buildup at rest; thixotropy.
Introduction
Each viscoelastic material, such as cosmetic material,
paint, quick clay, and cement-based material, has a
specific intrinsic yield stress. Such yield stress is related to
microscopic behavior. When a viscoelastic material is left at
rest or subjected to a very low shear rate over a certain period
of time, it exhibits a solid-like behavior. This can change to a
liquid-like behavior when the applied shear stress exceeds the
intrinsic yield stress of the material. The increase in viscosity
of a material left at rest is defined as “aging,” whereas the
decrease in viscosity with mixing time under a given shear
rate is defined as “shear rejuvenation.”1 Thixotropy can be
defined as a decrease in the viscosity of a material with time
when the material is subjected to a given shear rate leading
to flow.1 Thixotropy is a reversible phenomenon, where
viscosity increases when the material is at rest or when it is
subjected to a shear rate lower than its inherent yield stress
during a specified time.2 The latter phenomenon is defined
as “structural recovery” or “structural buildup at rest” and
is related to the rate of coagulation of the material. The
coagulation increases with the at-rest time, leading to an
increase in internal shear resistance to flow or static yield
stress at-rest time (t0rest).2 Based on these definitions, the
structural buildup at rest appears to be strongly related to the
thixotropy of the material.
Theoretically, t0rest is defined as the stress at which
viscosity changes from being infinite to having a finite
value.2 Thixotropy and t0rest are not inherent material
properties because they depend on the shear history of
the material. The t0rest can vary more than one order of
magnitude with the rest period prior to measurement and
is also affected by the measurement technique.2 Thixotropy
and the related structural buildup at rest are generated from
628
TECHNICAL PAPER
the interplay between flow and structure (restructuring) of
the tested fluid.1 The restructuring phenomenon in cement-
based materials can be due to the development of internal
friction and attractive forces among solid particles that can
develop at rest in addition to the nonreversible increase in
the degree of physical and chemical bond generated between
the solid particles during cement hydration.3 The longer the
cement-based material is left at rest, the higher the buildup
of internal structure and increase in shear strength would
be. Such a bond is predominant at a low shear rate and can
be destroyed, thus recovering the increase in yield stress by
mixing at a high shear rate.
Allowing the concrete to exhibit a high degree of
restructuring at rest can improve segregation resistance
and decrease the formwork pressure exerted by flowable
concrete. On the other hand, a sharp increase in restructuring
at rest can increase air entrapment and hinder surface finish.
This can also lead to the formation of lift lines in a multi-
layer casting of self-consolidating concrete (SCC), where
high buildup of the lower lift can hinder intermixing of the
SCC with the upper lift, leading to loss in the interlayer bond.
A number of approaches have been used to determine the
thixotropy of cement-based materials based on the structural
breakdown or structural buildup approach. The hysteresis loops
that can be constructed using the shear stress versus shear rate
data is one of these approaches.4 Variations in the shape of the
down curve of the hysteresis loop can be related to the structural
buildup as it corresponds to the rate of stiffening of the cement-
based material.5 A second approach involves the determination
of the structural breakdown of concrete under various shear
rates γ with time.3-6 Peak shear stress ti, corresponding to the
initial structural condition, and shear stress decay with time
toward an equilibrium value, teq, are noted. The value of (ti –
teq)/ġ is calculated to quantify thixotropy. The breakdown area
Ab also can be used to determine the structural breakdown of the
concrete by shearing the concrete at four different shear rates.
The Ab value can be calculated as the integration of the area
between ti – teq and shear rate data determined at different shear
rate values.3
A third approach to evaluate thixotropy involves the
determination of the structural buildup of the material
following a certain period of rest by measuring the rate of
increase in static yield stress at rest. This reflects the
coagulation state of the material that enables it to regain
its shear strength when left at rest. This approach can be
ACI Materials Journal, V. 108, No. 6, November-December 2011.
MS No. M-2008-309.R2 received February 11, 2009, and reviewed under Institute
publication policies. Copyright © 2011, American Concrete Institute. All rights
reserved, including the making of copies unless permission is obtained from the
copyright proprietors. Pertinent discussion including author’s closure, if any, will be
published in the September-October 2012 ACI Materials Journal if the discussion is
received by June 1, 2012.
ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011
Ahmed F. Omran is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec,
QC, Canada, and Assistant Professor at the University of Minoufia, Shibin el Kom,
Egypt. He received his BS and MS in civil engineering from the University of Minoufia
and his PhD from the Université de Sherbrooke in 2009. His research interests include
formwork pressure and concrete rheology.
Siwar Naji is a PhD Candidate at the Université de Sherbrooke. Her research interests
include thixotropy, robustness of self-consolidating concrete, and nondestructive testing.
Kamal H. Khayat, FACI, is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the Missouri
University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, and the Université de Sherbrooke.
He is Chair of ACI Committee 237, Self-Consolidating Concrete, and a member of ACI
Committees 234, Silica Fume in Concrete; 236, Material Science of Concrete; 238,
Workability of Fresh Concrete; 347, Formwork for Concrete; and 552, Cementitious
Grouting. His research interests include self-consolidating concrete, high-performance
concrete, rheology, and concrete repair.
Fig. 1—Vanes, containers, and torque meter used with PV
test. (Note: 1 mm = 0.039 in.).
employed through the concept of measuring yield strain,
where the plastic material is subjected to a minute shear rate
(angular velocity) until the initiation of flow (shearing of
the material). The critical stress necessary to mobilize the
material from rest is defined as the static yield stress t0s.
The structural buildup at rest can be evaluated as the rate
of variation of static yield stress at rest using a thixotropy
factor Athix.7 The time-dependent change of static yield stress
with rest (ts(t), in Pa/min) can also be used to estimate the
structural buildup at rest.8
Structural buildup at rest of concrete is typically assessed
using a coaxial concrete rheometer. In this paper, a portable
vane (PV) test, similar to that used to evaluate the undrained
shear stress of soil in particular clay soils, is used. Seed and
Riemer9 used a vane shear tip 75 mm (2.95 in.) in diameter
and 112 mm (4.41 in.) in height (a typical vane’s height is
equal to double the diameter) for field testing of the shear
stress of undrained soil. The vane is inserted into a borehole
to the depth where the measurement of the undrained shear
strength is required. The vane is then rotated at a specified
rate not exceeding 0.1 degree per second (practically one
degree every 10 seconds) using a protractor fixed on the
ground surface, and the torsional force required to cause
shearing is measured using a torque meter. The shear strength
of the soil is calculated as the measured torque divided by a
constant K; K depends on the vane’s dimensions and shape.
The test procedure and equipment used are described in
ASTM D2573-72. The value of the yield stress obtained by
the vane test is reported to coincide well with the majority of
currently available rheological methods.10,11
Bauer et al.12 reported that the vane test can be used to
evaluate the shear stress of mortar. The vane test approach
was adopted by the authors13 to evaluate the structural
ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011
buildup of the rest of the highly flowable mortar and SCC.
The testing program involved the comparison of thixotropic
testing using six different field-oriented test methods. Two
tests were found to provide a good comparison of changes
in the structural buildup at rest of mortar and SCC as
similar values obtained with rheometers. These tests are
the inclined plane (IP) test14 and the PV test.15 The latter
is based on the handheld shear vane test used for soil.9 The
apparatus records the highest torque needed to initiate flow
after a time of rest. Other researchers employed the vane
test approach to measure apparent (or static) yield stress
of concrete.3,16,17 Roussel and Cussigh17 designed the vane
geometry according to the recommendations of Dzuy
and Boger,10 which take into consideration the size of the
constitutive particles of the concrete mixture. Roussel and
Cussigh17 reported that repeatability of static yield stress
measurements obtained using the vane shear test to be 15%.
This paper proposes a detailed methodology for the PV
test method to quantify the structural buildup at rest of
SCC. Unlike previous studies, the proposed method employs
different vane geometries that are designed to capture the
structural buildup of a wide range of flowable mortar and
concrete with time. This study compares the structural
buildup at rest of nearly 60 SCC mixtures tested using the
proposed PV test protocol and concrete rheometer. This study
also seeks to evaluate the degree of prediction of the structural
buildup at rest using different thixotropic indexes that can be
comparable to those derived from concrete rheometers.
RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
Appropriate determination of structural buildup at rest of
freshly cast SCC in field environment before placement is
essential for the quality control of SCC deliveries, to predict
lateral pressure exerted on formwork, and to optimize
concrete placement operations and safety. The proposed
field-oriented test method can enable the evaluation of the
structural buildup at rest of SCC and consequently determine
the lateral pressure characteristics of the mixture. This can
be beneficial to contractors and engineers to select proper
mixtures that can secure lower pressure.
Portable vane test
Development of PV test
The standard handheld vane test designed to measure the
shear strength of soils was primarily applied to determine
static yield stress on mortar mixtures in 2006.13 Four-bladed
vanes of different sizes arranged in a cross shape around a
shaft were designed using stainless steel to shear the material
at different rest times (Fig. 1(a)). The total height H and
radius r of the vanes are as follows:
• Vane 1 (largest dimensions)—250 and 37.5 mm (9.84
and 1.48 in.);
• Vane 2—200 and 37 mm (7.87 and 1.46 in.);
• Vane 3—149 and 37.5 mm (5.87 and 1.48 in.); and
• Vane 4 (smallest dimensions)—100 and 37.5 mm (3.94
and 1.48 in.).
The largest vane (Vane 1) is used for the weakest
structure—that is, after the shortest rest time—and the
smallest vane (Vane 4) is used for the strongest structure—
that is, after the longest rest time. With increasing rest
time, the maximum torque necessary to shear the material
increases, and subsequently does the corresponding t0rest
value. An increase in t0rest with respect to rest time reflects
the structural buildup at rest of the cementitious material.
629
 time. An h value of 50 mm (1.97 in.) is selected for material
of high thixotropy. The h value can be increased to the total
vane’s height H when testing a low thixotropic material,
especially after a short rest time.
The bladed vanes were designed to enable the use of a
torque meter to capture the torque values needed to break
down the structure of the sample. At the beginning, the same
vane setup (scissometer) employed for standard soil testing
was used for testing mortar samples.10 The scissometer was
then replaced with a torque meter to measure the torque values
needed to break down the structure of concrete. The selected
torque meter shown in Fig. 1(c) has a precision of 0.5 N·m
Fig. 2—Schematic of centering vane to container base in (0.0123 lbf·yd) and a torque capacity of 18 N·m (4.425 lbf·yd).
PV test. (Note: 1 mm = 0.0394 in.)
Test procedure
Immediately after mixing, the four vanes described
Table 1—Ranges of mixture design of 61 tested previously are centered vertically in the containers with the
SCC mixtures help of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2. The containers
Range Materials Lower limit Upper limit are filled with concrete to a given height h. The containers
are covered to prevent drying. A central hole of 2 mm
Type GU cement 295 470
(0.08 in.) greater diameter opening than the vane’s shaft
Type HE cement 352 352 diameter is drilled in the plastic cover to help maintain the
Binder content,
Type MS cement 500 500 vane in a central and vertical position. The accuracy of the
kg/m3 torque measurement can improve when the container is
Type GUb-S/SF cement 353 560
placed on a flat surface, when the vane is set in a vertical
Class F fly ash 85 168 position, and when the torque meter is turned at a constant
Water, kg/m 3
139 267 speed of 10 to 15 seconds per quarter turn. The maximum
torque for breaking down the interstructural bonds and thus
w/cm 0.34 0.47 overcoming the yield stress of the material is noted. This
Sand (0 to 5 mm), kg/m3 560 995 torque is employed in Eq. (1) to obtain the static shear stress
2.5 to 10 mm 685 830
t0rest of the concrete as follows
Coarse aggregate,
5 to 14 mm 732 985
kg/m3
5 to 20 mm 812 812 Tmax
τ 0rest = (1)
PCE1 HRWRA 1.7 10 K
PCE2 HRWRA 2.3 4.8
PNS HRWRA 4.7 10.1 where T is the measured torque in N.m; K = 2pr2(h + 1/3r)18;
and h and r are the filling height and radius of the vane in
Admixture, L/m3 SRA 0.54 0.9
m, respectively.
WRA 0.8 0.96
AEA 0.11 0.11 Experimental program
The thixotropic indexes that can be derived using the PV
VMA1 0.5 4.1
test are compared to those that can be obtained with a coaxial
Admixture, g/m3 VMA2 to VMA6 35 90 concrete rheometer. For this comparison, 61 SCC mixtures
Slump flow, mm 560 720 were used. As indicated in Table 1, the SCC mixtures were
*
Notes: 1 kg/m3 = 1.69 lb/yd3; 1 mm = 0.0394 in.; 1 L/m3 = 0.2 gal./yd3; 1 g/m3 =
chosen to cover a wide range of thixotropy levels and had
0.00169 lb/yd3. initial slump flow values varying from 560 to 720 mm
(22.05 to 28.35 in.). The measured thixotropic responses
To efficiently conduct the PV test, many preliminary tests included the t0rest determined at four successive rest
were conducted to determine a protocol of testing that can periods up to 60 minutes, necessitating four PV devices. In
reflect the flow characteristics of highly flowable mortar and parallel, the rate of increase in t0rest and drop in apparent
SCC. Tests were first carried out with concrete-equivalent viscosity at a rotational speed of 0.7 rps (corresponding to
mortar (CEM) to formulate a protocol for proper use of the a shear rate of 5.45 s–1), ∆happ@0.7rps, were determined using
PV test.15 The test protocol that was finally adopted in this a coaxial vane rheometer on concrete samples subjected
investigation for SCC is presented in the Appendix. to the four successive rest periods. The breakdown area,
During initial test trials, four round, cylindrical molds were Ab1 was determined using the concrete rheometer for the
employed as containers. When the material was significantly selected SCC mixtures. The initial and time-dependent
stiff, however, the entire sample could rotate in the mold like responses determined simultaneously from the PV test
a plug, thus leading to erroneous results. The containers were and concrete rheometer were correlated. The repeatability
changed to square molds (Fig. 1(b)) to prevent any plug flow characterization of the PV was evaluated using three SCC
formation of the material, which proved to be successful. mixtures of different thixotropic levels that were tested four
The sample height inside the container, h, is varied inversely times each to determine the variations of t0rest measurements
with the thixotropy level of the sample and with the at-rest carried out between 15 and 60 minutes of rest.

630 ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011

Materials
The investigated SCC mixtures were proportioned with
various constituent materials covering a wide range of mixture
designs, including SCC designated for precast/prestressed
applications, structural cast-in-place applications for building
construction and infrastructure construction, as well as for the
repair of concrete structures. As indicated in Table 1, several
types of binders were used, including a general use cement
(CSA Type GU), a high-early-strength cement (CSA Type
HE), and a moderate sulfate-resistant cement (CSA Type MS).
Ternary cement (Type GUb-S/SF) made with approximately
22% slag and 5% silica fume replacements was also employed
for some of the investigated SCC mixtures. Mixtures made
with Types GU or HE cement included 25% Class F fly ash
substitution by mass of cementitious materials. The Blaine
fineness of the GU, HE, MS, and GUb-S/SF cements, and fly
ash are 385, 475, 390, 445, and 410 m2/kg (209, 266, 212,
241, and 222 yd2/lb), respectively.
Crushed limestone aggregate with a maximum size of
aggregate (MSA) of 10, 14, and 20 mm (0.39, 0.55, and
0.79 in.) and siliceous riverbed sand were used for the
investigated SCC mixtures. The grain-size distributions of the
sand and coarse aggregates are within CSA A.23.1 standards.
The bulk specific gravities of the sand and coarse aggregates
ranged between 2.70 and 2.73, and the absorption rates
ranged between 0.36 and 1.16%. As indicated in Table 1, a
number of chemical admixtures were incorporated, including
three high-range water-reducing admixtures (HRWRAs). Two
polycarboxylate ethers (PCE1 and PCE2)-based HRWRAs
and one polynaphthalene sulfonate (PNS)-based HRWRA
were employed. The solid contents of PCE1, PCE2, and
PNS are 22%, 39%, and 42%, respectively. The specific
gravities are 1.04, 1.08, and 1.21, respectively. One liquid-
based viscosity-modifying admixture (VMA1) with 39%
solid content and five powder-based VMAs were also
used. Three anionic polysaccharides (VMA2 and VMA3,
which are varied in terms of particle fineness, and VMA4,
which is characterized with high thermal stability), one
cellulose-based product (VMA5), and one modified starch
(VMA6) were selected. Set-reducing, water-reducing,
and air-entraining agents (ARAs, WRAs, and AEAs,
respectively) were also employed in some of the mixtures.
Mixture compositions and test procedures
The ranges of the proportions for the 61 investigated
concrete mixtures are summarized in Table 1. The total
cementitious materials varied from 393 to 560 kg/m3
(662 to 943 lb/yd3) and the volume of coarse aggregate
ranged between 270 and 330 L/m3 (54 and 66 gal./yd3). The
water-cementitious material ratio (w/cm) varied from 0.34 to
0.47, and the initial slump flow ranged from 600 to 720 mm
(23.6 to 28.3 in.), except for the SCC4 to SCC7 mixtures, with
a slump flow of 560 mm (22 in.) (Table 1).
The mixing procedure for all tested mixtures consisted of
homogenizing the aggregate with one-third of the mixing water
for 1 minute. The cementitious materials were then added,
followed by the HRWRA diluted with one-third of the mixing
water. After mixing for 3 minutes, the remaining one-third of
the water was introduced with the VMA (whenever applicable),
and the material was mixed for 2 minutes. Following 2 minutes
of rest, the material was remixed for 30 seconds. The ambient
temperature during mixing and testing was maintained at
approximately 22°C (71.6°F). Following the end of mixing
(7.5 minutes after the initial contact of cement with water),
ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011
the slump flow was determined, and then the rheological
parameters were evaluated at predetermined periods using the
PV and coaxial concrete rheometer.
At the end of the rest period, which typically ranged
between 15 and 60 minutes, the torque meter was attached
to the vane’s shaft centered in the containers (Fig. 1(b))
and turned slowly at a constant speed of 10 to 15 seconds
per quarter turn until the material started moving. The
maximum torque was noted and used to determine the
yield stress at rest (t0rest). This value was also determined
using the concrete rheometer. A four-bladed vane rotating
coaxially was used for the impeller of the rheometer. The
testing procedure consisted of imposing a low rotational
speed N of 0.03 rps to the vane impeller immersed in a fresh
sample of concrete subjected to a certain rest period and
recording the resulting increase in torque as a function of
time.18 The shear growth test involved the determination of
the maximum yielding torque Tmax before torque decayed
toward a steady-state region. The t0rest was calculated from
Tmax given the geometry of the yield surface and shear
stress distribution on the surface, which was assumed to be
uniform.10 Equation (1) can be applied to determine the t0rest
taking into consideration K = 2pr2(H + 2/3r), where the vane
is immersed in the concrete to the total height H and with
enough concrete cover on top of the vane.
The concrete sample was lightly sheared at a low rotational
speed during the shear growth test for 8 seconds for each
test. The sample was then homogenized by hand and covered
during a predetermined rest period until the following shear
growth test. Depending on the level of thixotropy of the SCC
mixture, the rest period between successive shear growth
test measurements varied from 5 to 15 minutes to enable
four measurements within 1 hour. Unlike the static yield
stress determined with the concrete rheometer, tests carried
out with the PV were performed on four undisturbed (virgin)
samples taken from the same concrete batch.
The second rheological property obtained from the
concrete rheometer was the drop in apparent viscosity
at a rotational velocity N of 0.7 rps (∆happ@N=0.7rps). This
value was measured for each of the four rest times. To
determine the ∆happ@N=0.7rps, the concrete was sheared at
0.7 rps during 24 seconds; the equilibrium state was reached
after 18 seconds. The maximum initial shear stress ti and
stress at equilibrium teq were then determined. The drop in
apparent viscosity can be expressed as the difference between
these two stresses divided by the shear rate corresponding to
0.7 rps (= 5.45 s–1).16 Four measurements of ∆happ@N=0.7rps at
the corresponding rest periods used for the static yield stress
were determined using the concrete rheometer.
The third rheological property was the breakdown area
Ab1 obtained using the concrete rheometer. The testing
protocol consisted of applying constant rotational velocities
of 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 rps and determining the initial ti
and equilibrium teq shear stresses at each rotational velocity.
Each rotational velocity was monitored for 24 seconds
to reach an equilibrium state, which typically occurred
within 15 to 20 seconds. The spread between ti and teq was
determined and plotted against the shear rate corresponding
to each rotational velocity. The integration of the area
between ti – teq and shear rate is considered the breakdown
area Ab1 and was used to quantify thixotropy.3 The mixture
was subjected to 5 minutes of rest before each test. The
determination of Ab1 required 30 minutes for the four
rotational velocities.
631
 Results and discussion
Rheological properties
For the tested mixtures, the initial slump flow values
varied between 560 and 720 mm (22 and 28.3 in.), covering
a wide range of super-workable concrete and SCC. All
mixtures had fresh concrete temperatures of 22 ± 2°C
(71.6 ± 3.6°F). The initial yield stress values varied between
approximately 10 and 1000 Pa (0.00145 and 0.145 psi),
and the initial plastic viscosity values ranged between
approximately 10 and 240 Pa·s (0.00145 and 0.0348 psi·s).
The initial yield stress and plastic viscosity were determined
using the Bingham model.
All of the investigated mixtures exhibited a steady increase
in t0rest during the 10- to 60-minute rest period when tested
with the PV test. Variations of t0rest determined using the Fig. 3—Typical variations of static yield stress as function of
PV test (PVt0rest) with the at-rest time for typical SCC rest time for various SCC mixtures determined using PV test.
mixtures designed with various thixotropic characteristics (Note: 1 Pa = 0.000145 psi.)
are shown in Fig. 3. The t0rest values obtained from the PV
test at 15 minutes of rest (PVt0rest@15min) is used as a first
structural buildup index. The rate of change of t0rest with rest Table 2—Repeatability of static yield stress
time (PVt0rest(t)) is also considered as a structural buildup measurements using PV test
index. This value is determined as the slope of a linear
trend line to the variation of t0rest with rest time. The time-
Rest time, minutes Statistical property SCC1 SCC2 SCC3
dependent change of static yield stress is important because
two materials can have similar initial static yield stresses x̄*, Pa 410 450 1567
but different rates of internal structural buildup at rest. In s, Pa 68 20 189
addition, the coupled effect of PVt0rest@15min and PVt0rest(t), 15
COV, % 16 4 12
(that is, PVt0rest@15min × PVt0rest(t)) can be determined from
the PV test and is also employed as a structural buildup index. RE, % 20 7 19

x̄, Pa 706 830 2974

Repeatability of PV test
s, Pa 74 25 221
The repeatability of the t0rest determined using the PV test 30
was evaluated using relatively thixotropic and nonthixotropic COV, % 10 3 7
CEMs of SCC consistency. The relative error is shown to RE, % 13 5 12
decrease with rest time and varied from 11% to 24% and
from 4% to 31% for the thixotropic and nonthixotropic x̄, Pa 1007 1215 4337
mixtures, respectively.15 s, Pa 129 43 189
In this study, the repeatability was determined for three 45
COV, % 13 4 4
SCC mixtures of various thixotropic levels. The rest time
between measurements was 15 minutes (that is, rest periods RE, % 16 6 9
of 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes). The repeatability was x̄, Pa 1595
evaluated by calculating the coefficient of variation (COV)
s, Pa Not 65 Not
and relative error (RE) corresponding to a 95% confidence 60
measured measured
interval using the Student’s distribution according to Eq. (2). COV, % 4
RE, % 7
σ
RE = 3.1824 100% (2) *
Mean t0rest.
x n Notes: RE = relative error; COV = coefficient of variation; 1 Pa = 0.000145 psi.

where 3.1824 is the coefficient representing a 95% confi-
dence interval for the Student’s distribution for a number of
observations equaling four; n is the number of observations
(n = 4); COV is the coefficient of variation; σ is standard
deviation; and x̄ is the average value of the observations.
The statistical values (x̄, σ, COV, and RE) estimated for the
t0rest readings at various rest times are presented in Table 2 for
the three evaluated SCC mixtures. The RE of the t0rest values
determined at four successive rest periods varied between 5 and
20%, indicating good repeatability of the PV test results.
correlation is given in the same figure for all test results
determined after 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes of rest. The
two correlations resulted in correlation coefficients R2 of
0.86 and 0.93, respectively. The relationship between the
PVt0rest and Rheometert0rest at 15 minutes of rest is close to
a 1:1 relationship (1.11 as per Eq. (4)). As the rheological
responses are highly dependent on shear history, only
responses determined in parallel at the same time (same
shear history) were considered in this comparison. This
involved 50 of the 61 SCC mixtures.

Correlating PV test and rheometric measurements

Correlating initial responses—The t0rest measurements PVτ 0 rest@15min = 1.11 × Rheometerτ 0 rest@15min (3)
determined at 15 minutes of rest time obtained from the
PV and rheometer tests are compared in Fig. 4. A similar (R = 0.86, n = 50)
2

632 ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011


Fig. 4—Correlation between initial static yield stress
obtained with concrete rheometer and PV test. (Note: 1 Pa
= 0.000145 psi.)
Fig. 5—Static yield stress determined at 15 to 60 minutes of
rest obtained using PV test versus concrete rheometer drop in
apparent viscosity at 0.7 rps. (Note: 1 Pa·s = 0.000145 psi·s.)
An overestimation of 11% of the PVt0rest@15min
compared to the Rheometert0rest@15min can be due to
the difference in the gap between the outer edge of the
vane and the concrete container used in the two test
methods. The ratio between the container’s width and
the vane’s diameter (DT/D) for the PV test is 3.2 (that is,
240 mm/75 mm = 3.2). The corresponding ratio between
the bowel’s diameter and the vane’s diameter (DT/D)
used with the concrete rheometer is 4.0 (that is, 360 mm
/90 mm = 4.0).
As shown in Eq. (4) and Fig. 4, the correlation between the
t0rest for all data between 15 and 60 minutes of the rheometer
and PV test methods (n = 146) deviates significantly from
the 1:1 line.
PVτ 0 rest = 1.55 × Rheometerτ 0 rest
(4)
( R 2 = 0.93, n = 146)
ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011
Fig. 6—Static yield stress after 15 minutes of rest obtained
using PV test versus breakdown area (Ab1) obtained using
concrete rheometer. (Note: 1 Pa = 0.000145 psi; 1 J/m3·s =
0.564 Ibf-ft/yd3·s.)
The increase of 55% of t0rest of the PV test compared to the
rheometer test can be explained by the fact that the shearing
histories of the two tests were not the same. In the PV test, the
measurements were determined on four virgin, undisturbed
samples, whereas the concrete tested in the rheometer was
subjected to successive shearing for over 60 minutes because
the concrete sample was used for the rheometer testing.
The samples were manually rehomogenized for 1 minute
following each measurement and left to rest until the next
measurement (typically 15 minutes of rest).
The results of the initial static yield stress determined from
the PV test (PVt0rest) are correlated in Fig. 5 to the initial drop in
apparent viscosity at 0.7 rps (∆happ@0.7rps) for the measurements
obtained between 15 and 60 minutes of rest. This correlation,
expressed in Eq. (5), is based on 128 data points.
PVτ 0 rest = 3.8 × ∆ηapp@0.7rps ( R 2 = 0.97, n = 127) (5)
For selected SCC mixtures (16), the initial static yield
stress determined at 15 minutes of rest using the PV test
(PVt0rest@15min) are compared to the Ab1 values in Fig. 6.
The correlation is given in Eq. (6) and indicates that a single
measurement of static yield stress after 15 minutes of rest
obtained using the PV test can indeed give an adequate
estimate of the value of Ab1 that requires four sets of tests
over 30 minutes.
PVτ 0 rest@15min = 1.82 Ab1 ( R 2 = 0.87, n = 16) (6)
Correlating time-dependent responses—The relationship
between time-dependent static yield stress determined
using the PV test (PVt0rest(t)) and the rheometric test
(Rheometert0rest(t)) is shown in Fig. 7 (on the left axis).
The correlation is given in Eq. (7) with an R2 value of 0.96.
633
Table 3—Classification of indexes of structural buildup at rest obtained using PV test and concrete rheometer
Initial structural buildup at rest after 15 minutes of rest Rate of increase in structural buildup at rest with rest time

Thixotropy classification PVt0rest@15min, Rheot0rest@15min, Dhapp@0.7rps@15min, PVt0rest(t), Rheot0rest(t), Dhapp@0.7rps(t),

for SCC mixtures Pa Pa Pa·s Pa/min Pa/min Pa·s/min
Low thixotropy, L 200 to 550 200 to 570 20 to 110 0 to 25 0 to 10 0 to 8
(No. of mixtures) (20) (20) (18) (16) (16) (16)

Medium thixotropy, M 550 to 900 570 to 940 110 to 200 25 to 50 10 to 20 8 to 16

(No. of mixtures) (4) (4) (6) (8) (7) (8)

Medium-high thixotropy, MH 900 to 1250 940 to 1310 200 to 290 50 to 75 20 to 30 16 to 24

(No. of mixtures) (3) (3) (3) (2) (3) (3)

High thixotropy, H 1250 to 1600 1310 to 1680 290 to 380 75 to 100 30 to 40 24 to 32

(No. of mixtures) (2) (2) (2) (2) (3) (2)

Very high thixotropy, VH 1600 to 1950 1680 to 2050 380 to 470 100 to 125 40 to 50 32 to 40
(No. of mixtures) (1) (1) (1) (2) (1) (1)
Total no. of SCC mixtures 30 30 30 30 30 30
Note: 1 Pa = 0.000145 psi.

The evolution of static yield stress with time was captured

for 30 SCC mixtures. As expected, this relationship is not
1:1 due to the difference in shear histories of the two approaches.
The PV test exhibited a higher rate of change in static yield
stress with the rest time compared to that obtained with the
concrete rheometer. As noted previously, this is due to the fact
that the SCC in the concrete rheometer was disturbed between
subsequent measurements, which was not the case for the PV
test, where four undisturbed samples were used.

Rheometerτ 0 rest (t ) = 0.39 × PVτ 0 rest (t )

(7)
( R 2 = 0.96, n = 30)

The correlations between the time-dependent change in

static yield stress determined from the PV test (PVt0rest(t))
versus the time-dependent change of the drop in apparent
viscosity at a rotational velocity of 0.7 rps (Dhapp@0.7rps(t)) is
shown in Fig. 7 (on the right axis). The relationship is given
in Eq. (8).
Fig. 7—Relationship between time-dependent change
of static yield stress obtained with PV test against time-
dependent change of static yield stress obtained with concrete
rheometer (right axis) and time-dependent change of drop in
apparent viscosity at 0.7 rps (left axis). (Note: 1 Pa·s/min =
0.000145 psi·s/min.)

SCC mixtures in each category is also listed in the table in

∆ηapp@0.7rps (t ) = 0.28 × PVτ 0 rest (t )
(8)
( R 2 = 0.96, n = 30)
Classification of various indexes to evaluate structural
buildup at rest—In total, six indexes to evaluate structural
buildup at rest of SCC mixtures were derived. Two indexes
for the static yield stress test were obtained using the PV
test (PVt0rest@15min and PVt0rest(t)), two indexes for the
static yield stress test are determined using the concrete
rheometer (Rheometert0rest@15min and Rheometert0rest(t)), and
two indexes for drop in apparent viscosity at 0.7 rps test were
obtained using the concrete rheometer (Dhapp@0.7rps@15min and
Dhapp@0.7rps(t)). The six indexes of structural buildup at rest
were measured simultaneously for 30 of the 61 investigated
SCC mixtures. Each structural buildup at rest index for
the 30 mixtures can be classified into five categories:
low thixotropy (L), medium thixotropy (M), medium-to-
high thixotropy (MH), high thixotropy (H), and very high
thixotropy (VH), as indicated in Table 3. The number of
parentheses, indicating that large numbers of the investigated
SCC mixtures are classified in the L series and few numbers
are classified in the VH series. For initial structural buildup
at rest indexes after 15 minutes of rest, a number of SCC
mixtures for the three tests are approximately the same for the
L, M, MH, H, and VH series. The same for the rate of increase
in structural buildup at rest with rest time was obtained using
the three tests. For example, 16 of the 30 SCC mixtures were
classified as low thixotropic mixtures (L) using the rate of
increase in structural buildup at rest of the three tests. In
addition, three of the 30 SCC mixtures were classified as MH
thixotropy using the six indexes of structural buildup at rest,
except for two using the PVt0rest(t) index.
Comparison of rankings of test methods used to
assess structural buildup at rest
To evaluate the dependency among the various indexes
that were determined for the structural buildup at rest of
the SCC mixtures, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance W
can be used. The analysis involved the ranking of 30 SCC

634 ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011

Table 4—Rankings of 30 SCC mixtures with respect to indexes of structural buildup at rest determined
from various test methods using Kendall’s coefficient
Ranked property, Rj
SCC mixtures, n = 30 PVt0rest@15min Rheot0rest@15min Dhapp@0.7rps@15min PVt0rest(t) Rheot0rest(t) Dhapp@0.7rps(t) SRj S
SCC-1 21 22 21 20 19 20 123 900
SCC-2 27 27 27 26 24 26 157 4096
SCC-3 11 9 11 12 11 14 68 625
SCC-4 24 24 23 24 25 24 144 2601
SCC-5 7 10 6 8 10 9 50 1849
SCC-6 23 20 24 23 23 23 136 1849
SCC-7 1 8 3 3 4 6 25 4624
SCC-8 18 11 17 13 13 15 87 36
SCC-9 16 18 14 17 18 18 101 64
SCC-10 14 14 13 19 20 21 101 64
SCC-11 17 19 15 16 17 17 101 64
SCC-12 18 12 17 18 16 19 100 49
SCC-13 28 28 28 28 27 28 167 5476
SCC-14 2 1 2 6 3 8 22 5041
SCC-15 8 5 10 9 6 11 49 1936
SCC-16 12 13 15 11 9 13 73 400
SCC-17 22 23 22 21 22 22 132 1521
SCC-18 25 25 25 25 26 25 151 3364
SCC-19 26 26 26 27 28 27 160 4489
SCC-20 29 29 29 29 29 29 174 6561
SCC-21 30 30 30 30 30 30 180 7569
SCC-22 6 2 1 15 15 3 42 2601
SCC-23 4 6 3 1 8 2 24 4761
SCC-24 9 16 5 22 21 10 83 100
SCC-25 15 15 19 10 2 4 65 784
SCC-26 3 3 7 7 5 1 26 4489
SCC-27 10 4 8 4 12 7 45 2304
SCC-28 13 17 9 5 1 12 57 1296
SCC-29 5 7 12 2 7 5 38 3025
SCC-30 20 21 20 14 14 16 105 144
r 0.933 Reference 0.898 0.852 0.805 0.891
rc = 0.478; SS = 72,682; k = 6; W = 0.898; (n – 1) = 29; Q = 156.3

mixtures using a scheme illustrated in Table 4. Each object W = 12 S / k 2 n(n 2 − 1) (9)

(SCC mixture) within a group (structural buildup at rest
index from each test) is ranked between 1.0 and n (total
number of SCC mixtures used in the ranking). The ranking
can be made by different judges as observers or evaluators,
or by a single judge applying different criteria. In Table 4,
the 30 SCC mixtures were ranked from 1 to 30 according
to the value of the structural buildup at rest index of each
test, where the SCC mixture of the lowest value of the
structural buildup at rest index was ranked as 1 and that of
the highest value of the structural buildup at rest index was
ranked as 30. The value of W is used to evaluate the degree
of agreement among several k judgments used to assess a
given set of n objects.19 The value of W is calculated as in
Eq. (9) as follows
2
where S = ∑ nj=1  R j - k (n + 1) / 2  ; k is the number of sets
ranking; n is the number of objects (mixtures); and Rj is the
respective sum of raw rankings (R1, R2, ..., Rj).
A table indicating the critical values for W can be used to verify
the significance level α of the W value when n ≤ 7.20 However,
when n > 7 (as in this case where n = 30), Friedman’s
coefficient Q is used. The value of Q is given by Eq. (10)
as follows
Q = 12 S / kn(n − 1) + k (n − 1)W (10)

ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011 635

 The Friedman test statistic is distributed approximately
as c2, with (n – 1) degrees of freedom. This allows for the
testing of W for statistical significance. For a given degree
of freedom, if Q ≥ a critical value Qc in the c2 table,20 the
null hypothesis of disagreement is rejected. This means that
the judges that produced rankings are in agreement and are
dependent of each another.
For the data shown in Table 4, six indexes of structural
buildup at rest are considered as the judgments of thixotropy
(k = 6) to rank the 30 SCC mixtures (n = 30) based on the
absolute values of each index of the structural buildup at rest.
The calculated Q value of 156.3 was found greater than the
Qc value of 39.09 determined at α = 1%. This indicates that
the six indexes of structural buildup at rest determined using
the PV and concrete rheometer tests are highly related to
each other and can be employed to determine the thixotropy
of the SCC mixtures.
The similarity between various indexes of structural
buildup at rest determined using the PV test and those of
the concrete rheometer can be evaluated using Spearman’s
coefficient rs. The rs is a nonparametric measure of statistical
dependence between two ranked variables.21 It assesses how
well the relationship between two rankings can be described
using a monotonic function. The rs can be calculated as in
Eq. (11) as follows
ρs = 1 − 6 ∑ d 2 n(n 2 − 1) (11)
where n is the number of objects; and d is the difference
between the two ranks for a given individual. The rs measures
the similarity between the two rankings and ranges between
–1.0 and +1.0. The numerical value of the correlation
coefficient indicates how the rankings are related to each
other. A positive value of rs implies a positive agreement
between the two series of rankings. On the contrary, a
negative rs value indicates a negative agreement (that is,
the agreement is in the reverse direction). If rs is equal to
zero, then both rankings indicate no agreement. When the
rs value is closer to 1.0, it implies an excellent similarity
between the two rankings. In general, rs less than or equal to
0.3 indicates low correlation, whereas rs between 0.31 and
0.66 implies moderate correlation. A rs value greater than or
equal to 0.67 indicates very high correlation.21
The index of static yield stress at rest after 15 minutes of rest
determinedusingtheconcreterheometer(Rheometert0rest@15min)
is used as a reference for the other five indexes of struc-
tural buildup at rest determined with the PV and concrete
rheometer tests (PVt0rest@15min, Dhapp@0.7rps@15min, PVt0rest(t),
Rheometert0rest(t), and Dhapp@0.7rps(t)). As indicated in Table 4,
the calculated values of rs for the five indexes of structural
buildup at rest with 30 pairs of scores are 0.933, 0.898, 0.852,
0.805, and 0.891, respectively. These rs values are greater
than the critical rs,c value of 0.478 at α = 1%. This indicates
that the obtained value of rs is likely to occur by a probability
of occurrence less than one time in a hundred (highly signifi-
cant). According to the rs values for the various indexes of
structural buildup at rest, these indexes can be classified as
indicated in Table 4. This classification points out that the
PVt0rest@15min is ranked as the highest index to describe the
structural buildup at rest, followed by the Dhapp@0.7rps@15min
index. The Rheometert0rest(t) index placed fifth in evaluating
the structural buildup at rest of the SCC.
636
Based on the statistical analysis, the six indexes designated
to determine the structural buildup at rest that were obtained
using the PV and concrete rheometer tests are shown to be
dependent. In addition, the analysis indicates a similarity
between the various indexes of structural buildup at rest
determined using the PV test and those of the concrete
rheometer to evaluate the thixotropy of SCC mixtures.
The static yield stress determined after 15 minutes of rest
using the PV test (PVt0rest@15min) is highly recommended to
describe the structural buildup at rest of SCC mixtures.
Summary and conclusions
Based on the results presented in this study, which aimed
at developing and validating the PV test to describe the
structural buildup at rest of SCC, the following conclusions
are warranted:
1. The evolution of static yield stress with respect to rest
time obtained using the PV test can be used to reflect changes
in the rate of structural buildup of cement-based materials.
2. The PV test shows good repeatability with 5 to 20% RE
when used to assess structural buildup at rest of SCC.
3. Three indexes that can be employed to evaluate thixotropy
and structural buildup at rest of SCC can be deducted using
the PV test: the initial static yield stress after a short rest
period—for example, 15 minutes (PVt0rest@15min), time-
dependent change of static yield stress at rest (PVt0rest(t)),
and the coupled effect of PVt0rest@15min and PVt0rest(t). The
PVt0rest(t) is typically constant in the first 60 minutes of rest,
and there is linear increase in PVt0rest initially.
4. The results of the PV test are validated using
approximately 60 SCC mixtures of different compositions.
Good correlations are obtained using the PV test in
terms of static yield stress at rest and various thixotropic
measurements using concrete rheometer that include static
yield stress at rest, drop in apparent viscosity at a rotational
velocity of 0.7 rps, and breakdown area.
5. Six indexes of structural buildup at rest determined
using the PV and concrete rheometer tests are shown to
be dependent.
6. According to Spearman’s rho coefficient, the
PVt0rest@15min index is ranked as the highest index to describe
the structural buildup at rest of concrete, followed by the
Dhapp@0.7rps@15min index.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the efforts of colleagues in the
Cement and Concrete Research Group at the Université de Sherbrooke,
who helped in conducting parallel thixotropic testing. The authors would
also like to acknowledge the support of the National Ready Mix Concrete
Education and Research Foundation and the Strategic Development Council
(SDC) of the American Concrete Institute, as well as member companies of
SDC, for their financial support.
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Appendix—Test protocol for PV method
1. Prepare four square plastic buckets approximately 2 mm
(0.08 in.) thick, 210 mm (8.3 in.) long, and 330 mm (13 in.)
ACI Materials Journal/November-December 2011
high. Fix a screw bolt of 4 mm (0.15 in.) in length and 2 mm
(0.08 in.) in diameter in the middle of the bucket base
going from the outer to the inner direction of the bucket.
Tighten a 4 mm (0.15 in.) thick nut to the visible part of
screw bolt inside the bucket. Therefore, 2 mm (0.08 in.) of
the nut thickness is fastened to the bolt, and the other 2 mm
(0.08 in.) is hollow to hold the vane’s shaft centered (Fig. 2).
2. Place the buckets (Buckets 1 to 4) on a flat surface.
Care should be taken to keep the buckets in place without
disturbance or vibration. Position the vane of large dimension
at the center of Bucket 1 with the aid of the nut described in
Step 1. Proceed with the same approach with the smallest
vane placed in Bucket 4.
3. Fill up the four containers with mortar or concrete
up to a height h, which should not exceed the total vane’s
height H. The casting height h depends on the thixotropy
of the mixture. A shorter h value of approximately 50 mm
(1.96 in.) can be used for highly thixotropic mixtures,
and the maximum h (that is, H) can be employed for low
thixotropic mixtures. Cover each bucket with plastic cover
with a central hole to align the vane’s shaft in the center of
the bucket.
4. Record the rest time after the end of concrete placement
in the buckets. The first rest time before conducting the first
shear test can be on the order of 15 minutes. The remaining
three rest times can be 30, 45, and 60 minutes, or lower for
mixtures that exhibit high thixotropy to enable four tests
before excessive structural buildup.
5. At the end of each rest time, remove the plastic cover
and attach the torque meter to the top tip of the vane’s shaft.
Turn slowly (10 to 15 seconds per quarter turn—that is,
0.025 to 0.0167 rps) until the mixture starts to flow.
6. Record the torque value and corresponding rest time.
7. Repeat Steps 4 to 6 at other rest times.
8. Use Eq. (A1) to determine the static yield stress.
Tmax
τ 0rest = (A1)
K
where T is the measured torque in N·m; K = 2pr2(h + 1/3r);
and h and r are the filling height and radius of the vane in m,
respectively.
9. Plot the static stress versus rest period to determine
the slope that corresponds to the structural buildup of the
concrete with rest PVt0rest(t).
637